H. Res. 683 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

August 1, 2014. 

Whereas Iraq is currently embroiled in a political and religious insurrection stemming from an Islamic State in 

Iraq and Levant (ISIL)-led offensive that began in the 

Anbar province and has spread to key locations such as 

Mosul, Tikrit, and Samarra and continues to engulf the 

region in violence and instability; 

Whereas ISIL is a transnational Sunni insurgency whose ideological and organizational roots lie in both al Qaeda in 

Iraq and the Syria-based Jabhat al Nursa and has a 

stated mission of establishing an Islamic state and a caliphate across the Levant through violence against Shiites, non-Muslims, and unsupportive Sunnis; 

Whereas Iraq’s population is approximately 31,300,000 with 

97 percent identifying themselves as Muslim and the approximately 3 percent of religious minorities groups comprising of Christians, Yezidis, Sabean-Mandaeans, Bahais, Shabaks, Kakais, and Jews; 

Whereas the Iraqi Christian population is estimated to be between 400,000 and 850,000 with two-thirds being 

Chaldean, one-fifth Assyrian, and the remainder consisting of Syriacs, Protestants, Armenians, and Anglicans; 
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Whereas the Iraqi constitution provides for religious freedom 

by stating— 

(1) ‘‘no law may be enacted that contradicts the 

principles of democracy’’; 

(2) ‘‘no law may be enacted that contradicts the 

rights and basic freedoms stipulated in this Constitution’’; and 

(3) ‘‘[This Constitution] guarantees the full religious 

rights to freedom of religious belief and practice of all individuals such as Christians, Yazidis, and Mandean 

Sabeans’’; 

Whereas over 500,000 people have been displaced by the current situation in Iraq and reports have surfaced of targeted harassment, persecution, and killings of Iraqi religious minorities by ISIL with little to no protection from 

the Iraqi Government and other security forces; 

Whereas the fall of Mosul in particular has sparked enough 

anxiety among the Christian population that for the first 

time in 1,600 years there was no Mass in the city; 

Whereas over 50 percent of Iraq’s Christian population has 

fled since the fall of Saddam Hussein, 1,100,000 people 

of diverse religious backgrounds remain internally displaced and the government under Prime Minister Nouri 

al-Maliki has not upheld its commitment to protect the 

rights of religious minorities; 

Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports as of January 2014 a total population of 

concern in Iraq numbering 1,522,855 people, including 

refugees and internally displaced persons, many of whom 

face grave deprivation and imminent threats to life, 

health, and safety; 
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Whereas the United States has provided over $73,000,000 of 

cumulative assistance to Iraq’s minority populations since 

2003 through economic development, humanitarian services, and capacity development; 

Whereas 84,902 Iraqis have resettled to the United States 

between 2007 and 2013 and over 300,000 Chaldean and 

Assyrians currently reside throughout the country, particularly in Michigan, California, Arizona, Illinois, and 

Ohio; and 

Whereas President Barack Obama recently declared on Religious Freedom Day, ‘‘Foremost among the rights Americans hold sacred is the freedom to worship as we choose 

* * * we also remember that religious liberty is not just 

an American right; it is a universal human right to be 

protected here at home and across the globe. This freedom is an essential part of human dignity, and without 

it our world cannot know lasting peace’’: Now, therefore, 

be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) deplores and condemns the religious bigotry, 

vandalism and destruction of property, and violent attacks on and intimidation of innocent Iraqi civilians by 

armed extremists; 

(2) calls on the United States Department of State 

to work with the Kurdistan Regional Government, the 

Iraqi central government, neighboring countries, the diaspora community in the United States, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and other key 
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stakeholders to help secure safe havens for those claiming amnesty in Iraq; 

(3) calls on the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to work with the 

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on a 

sustained basis to document human rights abuses 

against Iraqi civilians and develop an immediate plan to 

facilitate safe humanitarian access to potable water, 

health care, fuel, electricity, and basic security for the 

most vulnerable civilian populations; 

(4) calls upon the Government of Iraq to take immediate steps to protect the safety and constitutional 

rights of all Iraqi citizens; 

(5) respectfully requests the addition of a Special 

Representative for Religious Minorities to be included in 

the newly reconstructed government of Iraq; and 

(6) reaffirms its commitments to promoting and 

protecting religious freedom around the world and providing relief to minority groups facing persecution. 

Attest: 

Clerk.